Being 20

I became a model at age 20 for my college's fashion show on May 1.

When I was first approached to become 20....I was skeptical. How was I supposed to do dumb kid stuff and get away with it? There wasn't going to be any more "oh, she's just a dumb teenager. She doesn't know better." Now it was going to be "she did something dumb? There's no excuse for this, Krista. You're not a teenager anymore, Krista. Stop jumping on the trampoline and making fart jokes, Krista."

But really, how am I supposed to do my dumb stuff and get away with it if I'm not a teenager? There's a time when everything must come to an end and I think I'm okay with that now. I've moved on from being a teenager. I'm ready to take on the real world. 

I remember walking through the Boston Public Garden with my friend Samantha in October around 10 or 11 at night screaming and shouting over each other. Typical 19-year old us (we are honestly still the same kids yelling and shouting over each other in public). We were going to see "Ouija" in theaters talking about the very topic of leaving the teenage years behind. This is not something you can do at age 20. It's just not. How do you explain going to such a dumb movie so late at night and being 20???

I had a change of heart and mind. Maybe it was because my birthday weekend was more than good. Maybe it's because I knew I had to finally grow up. I'm scared of growing up. I finally found something that I could do for the rest of my life but I don't want to grow up and change my mind. I like the way things are. I'm comfortable. But that's also how I felt during high school so I think I'm ready to move on.

WE'RE 20!!! My friend Samantha's birthday is two days after mine and we celebrated in style on April 18. 

I was never that person that wanted to grow up. I never aspired to be anything really. I really never had a career aspirations or motivations. I wasn't a lazy kid or bad student or anything, I just wasn't inspired. I am lucky enough to have blindly chosen a career path that I love and can see myself going into. 

I'm not sure why I didn't want to leave my teenagehood behind. It wasn't that good. Average, at best. I know I wasn't scared. Scared is just something I said to try and reason this feeling. I think it's because I finally became aware of myself and the person I wanted to become and I liked the way life was treating me. I didn't want things to change. 

I found and lost myself and found myself again as a teenager and I'm hoping that won't happen again in my twenties. Twenties. What a weird thing to think about. A new era. I feel like I should have my own raunchy TV show on HBO or Comedy Central. It's a whole new era of screwing things up but not being able to blame being a teenager on something. I feel like I'm officially an adult. 


I work a few different jobs and am always coming into contact with new people so whenever someone asks me how old I am I always have to pause before I answer. "I'm 20." It's a lot sorter than "I'm 19" and I feel like I'm forgetting something. I have to think before I tell someone my age. I was a teen for too long. 


It's like the episode of "Broad City" when Ilana turns 23 and thinks the world is going to end because she's inevitably getting older. She makes a will and gives it to Abbi, her best friend. Honestly, I feel like this is something I would do. I never thought I would make it out of Syracuse, out of high school, out of my teenage years and look where I am now.

Being 20 isn't that bad. I met frontman of The Vaccines Justin Young on June 10 in Albany, NY.

It's crazy that I can start a sentence with "15 years ago" and remember exactly what life was like 15 years ago. 15 years ago I was five, liked watching "The Powerpuff Girls" and playing outside. That's not much different than today and now I'm not sure how much life has changed. I just know that it will change even more. 

It's funny being 20 because I always used to joke since age 13 that I was getting old. People always think I'm older than I actually am so it's weird to act my age now. A girl a year older than me freshman year told me she thought I was a senior just because I was so friendly and professional when I worked with her taking photographs. I get this a lot. 

A lot happened in my teenage years. A lot of ups and downs and things that couldn't be explained. My life took a turn for the better and I want to remember my teenage years like that. A lot has happened. A lot will happen. I'm too young for some things and too old for others but that will change too. I'm happy to be moving forward and I think being 20 suits me.